Orlando Pirates set to promote future Bafana Bafana captain?
Orlando Pirates have uncovered a geam in their DDC team.
A left-footed centre-back built like prime Kalidou Koulibaly, Orlando Pirates have a special talent on their books.
Enter 19-year-old Mbekezeli Mbokazi. The boy from Hluhluwe has something special about him: a calmness that extends past his adolescence and the strength that comes with growing up in northern Zululand.
Orlando Pirates DDC coach Joseph Makhanya knows what Mbokazi is all about, saying, “This platform (DDC League) is created for these boys. If you look at where Mbekezeli (Mbokazi) comes from, it was his first season last season but the strides he has made have been nothing short of amazing,
“Soon there’s an announcement that would be made, where we will no longer see Mbokazi in the DDC,
“You must think back where he is coming from, all the way from Hluhluwe. It was even difficult to talk to him about tactics, so you needed to make sure that you speak to him in his own language, and he became comfortable and once he became comfortable he became a leader,
“He is now a leader, and this is what Pirates is about, giving opportunities to youngsters from all different spheres of the country. The Diski Challenge is about giving chances to the young ones, we have seen how Rele (Relebohile Mofokeng) and Mohau (Mohau Nkota) have progressed, they are all coming from this group.”
Contract inbound?
Mbokazi has been featuring in regular first team trainings for Orlando Pirates, and looks set to be promoted in due course:
“He [Mbokazi] is doing very well, and the head coach has taken note of his progress,” SoccerLaduma reported.
“There is no rush, but his talent and high work-rate won’t be overlooked. As you know, the senior team coach rewards hard work and he is a great believer in young players. His time is coming.”
What else should Orlando Pirates be monitoring?
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